New Love, Old Wounds
by WisdomFire
Summary: The story of a Lieutenant, and the woman he affectionately calls Duckling.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **It sucks that I don't own Once Upon A Time. But, I don't.

**Author's Note: **Now, this Lieutenant Duckling fanfic is about the lovely Killian when he is about twenty and Emma will be eighteen.

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><p>"Lieutenant Killian Jones is a loyal member of our Naval forces. He is perfectly capable, I am telling you." King David calmly explains his choices to his wife, Snow. Her pale features twist into a sceptical glare pondering her husband's words. Always a woman of reason and great sympathy, except in any matter concerning her daughter, Emma.<p>

"He's is perfectly capable under normal circumstances, Charming. Not when he is still coping with the loss of the woman he loves." She calmly states.

"Snow," king David starts, knowing all too well the pain Killian is going through, "The man was nearly begging me to send him off with his brother." he gives his best attempt at reasoning with his wife.

"The last time he was not rescuing our _daughter_."

"Snow… An entire army will be there. All of our naval forces will be there," David crosses his arms, blue eyes aimed at Snow, "We have waited for this. They are trained for this. Emma will finally come home after four years."

"When she took Emma... on her fourteenth birthday... I couldn't bear it. I don't want anything else to happen." Snow holds back tears as she relives the traumatizing past memory.

"Honey, we'll get her back. We will find her, no matter how long it takes." He reassures his Queen.

"Okay. We'll send Blue. She will determine whether or not Killian is fit for this coup d'etat." Snow is adamant about her final decision.

All this time, the king and queen never lost hope that their little princess would find her way home.

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><p>In a hurry, Lieutenant Killian Jones enters the captain's quarters of the Jewel of the Realm. The wood under his feet creeks with every step as he approaches his older brother, Captain Liam Jones.<p>

When Killian arrives below deck, he is met with his brother who is studying a map, briefly checking to see who is in his quarters.

"Ah, battle well fought, Killian. Well done." Liam praises his younger brother before turning his attention back to the mammoth map in hand.

"Dirty pirates." Killian mumbles angrily, fumbling with velvet coat.

"Now, now, brother. No need to fuss. Those pirates were mere child's play." Liam playfully scolds his young brother.

Killian gives a sigh, quickly changing the subject. "How long do you suppose we have left at sea?" He inquires, eager to know.

Liam ponders the question for a moment, "I'd say three days at most. We are not far off from the kingdom." He answers.

"You said it would take longer."

"I decided to take a different route."

"We don't need to take a different route."

"…"

"…"

"Brother," Liam breaks the brief silence, "I know you don't want to return after what happened."

Killian clenches his jaw, feeling disdain bubbling up as Liam shifts the conversation to the exact place Killian does not want to venture.

"I was eager to leave. I'm not eager to return." He says, holding back emotion.

"Milah would want you to return. She would want you to continue on with your duties."

"Milah would want me to be _happy_." Killian raises his voice.

Silence fills the air between the two brothers once more.

Killian's rugged features soften into a frown, but his posture stays strong. He looks Liam straight in the eyes.

"Ever since Milah passed... I haven't been myself. I am sorry, brother." The apology lacks both meaning and substance. Liam is well aware, but he chooses to dismiss Killian's awkward reply.

"All is well. Go tell the crew tomorrow's agenda." The elder brother dismisses Killian.

Killian masks the pain once again behind his blue eyes and returns above deck. Liam remains in the Captain's quarters, looking at his map and silently worrying about his younger brother.

"Alright, men. We'll be back on castle grounds in two days time. So, get a good night's rest." Killian announces, "We set sail before the sun rises."

That night, Killian lies awake, playing a parade of silent memories over in his mind, praying that the pain of losing his Milah will lessen. Completely unaware of the grace and beauty waiting to enter his life.

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><p><strong>Author's note:<strong> Thanks for reading, everyone! The next chapter will be much longer, I promise.


	2. Eager To Fall

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Once Upon A Time. Not here, not even in any realm inside Jefferson's hat.

**Author's Note: **Thanks so much for the positivity regarding this story! It means so much that you are all enjoying this!

For the flashback scene in this chapter, I just improvised a ship name. Also, I have done a bit of editing to the previous chapter. So, check that out if you haven't already. Hope you enjoy!

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><p><em>Raging waves meet the sides of the Mystic Beauty with incredible force, creating a wall of heavy mist with every encounter. Panic fills the air and salt water enters Killian's lungs as he searches the midnight waters for his new wife.<em> _He ignores the burning inside his lungs, swimming deeper into the abyss, desperately trying just to feel where Milah might be. Panic settles in as Killian grows dizzy under the blanket of salt water. Tumbling downward, he sinks further into this experience. He swims further, only coming up for air after it is too late. Liam brings Killian to shore and the , and the younger Jones brother falls to his knees. His body wretches forward, his injuries stinging with the with the sudden movement. Liam's heart breaks as he tells Killian what happened to Milah. Killian's whole body grows numb when he realizes Milah is lost at sea along with the sinking ship._

_"No," Killian insists between coughs._

"_I... Need to find her." He says before collapsing into the sandy midnight shore._

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><p>The morning comes as slow as death for Killian, as he lies in his cot, waiting to be taken away from his nostalgic haze. Killian knows that his memories are only a fragment of a woman who he lost nearly a year ago. But, when you have been hurt so deeply, memories are sometimes hard to let go of.<p>

Thinking of Milah is Killian's bad habit only forgetting can seemingly cure. A bad habit he refuses to shake because he knows he couldn't live with himself if he did. With each passing day, Killian becomes more sickly aware of that fact with every breath he takes.

But, he continues to breathe. And he still smiles whenever he thinks of her, even if only for a moment.

Hearing the sound of footsteps above deck distracts Killian from his mind as he remembers the task that today brings: Sail back to where it all began.

Killian swallows the lump in his throat, puts on his uniform, and he makes his way above deck. The relaxing sound of roaring waves fill Killian's exhausted senses as he trudges up the creaky wooden steps of the Jewel. He is greeted with the half-light of the morning and a sparse amount of crew members preparing to set sail. Looking out at the deep cobalt blue ocean, he notices his brother is doing the same.

"You're awake earlier then expected, brother." says Captain Liam, very aware of the fact that Killian hasn't been resting much in the recent weeks.

"I haven't slept." Killian admits, his mind in a distant fog.

Liam shakes his head in disapproval.

Oh, Killian. He mentally scolds.

"You won't be going anywhere if you keep this up," Liam starts, "I know you need your time away from the castle but, my top priority is our crew. I'll talk to the king about a temporary replacement."

As Captain, he needs his men in tip-top shape. As a brother, he's concerned for his beloved younger brother's current state of wellbeing.

"Well, I guess I will have to do better, brother." Killian's quiet sarcasm gets lost in the sound of the ocean. Out of annoyance, he fiddles with the neck of his uniform.

Suddenly, coming to a realization, Killian becomes curious. "We don't seem to be moving." He states the obvious, a spark of hope forming in his blue eyes. He really isn't ready to face what happened.

"Why haven't we set sail? We've a deadline, Liam."

"Look up." Liam turns to the sky.

"What the... What on earth happened to the mainmast?" Killian exclaims, genuinely surprised to see that the main sail's support beam is cracked in several places, and about three feet shorter than it was the day prior.

Liam slaps his palm to his forehead, a little bit defeated. "I haven't the foggiest idea. But, we won't be going anywhere for a good day or two."

Killian then breaks into a fit of roaring laughter, successfully managing to confuse his elder brother.

"You are a strange one, Killian." Liam says with a smile, relieved to see a bit of the old Killian shining through to the surface.

The Lieutenant takes in the crisp saltwater air one last time before he decides to travel into town, using his spare time exploring the quaint village where the Jewel currently remains docked. His only problem? Getting off the ship.

Liam never has been fond of Killian's habit for sneaking away.

The young lieutenant passes by some oblivious crew members, and easily manages to evade Liam's normally watchful eye.

Although, clever he was, Kiliian did indeed get caught. Not by his brother, but by the blue fairy.

Killian raises an eyebrow at the unexpected sight as she flies in his direction. "Blue? What are you doing here?" He instantly reels through any possible reason why inside his mind, feeling a bit anxious as he does so.

"The king and queen sent me. May I speak with you and the captain? It's regarding their daughter. We've finally found her." Her wings flutter anxiously as she floats close to Killian's nose.

Keeping his outward composure in tact, he replies with a courteous nod.

"Verily. He is in his quarters. This way." Says the young man as he navigates his way to Liam. He rushes through the creaky hall, Blue not far behind. Adrenaline rushes through Killian's veins. A sensation he thought he lost long ago.

Liam's door is slightly ajar, and Killian enters without even a thought about knocking.

"Blue is here. It's about the missing princess." Killian informs the captain, unaware of who the princess even is.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Please, excuse any mistakes. I'll get to those another time. I want to add more to this chapter as well. Thank you very much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


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